ECHOES on Netflix is a new mystery thriller series starring Michelle Monaghan as twins Leni and Gina. It’s a limited series with 7 one-hour episodes, and it’s one hell of a rollercoaster. Read our full Echoes series review here!
ECHOES is a new Netflix mini-series with seven episodes. It’s a thriller mystery with Michelle Monaghan as the absolute star of the series. She plays two roles as the twins Leni and Gina, who have been swapping lives and identities since they were children.
The hour-long episodes tend to end on crazy cliffhangers, so you’ll probably want to binge-watch this series to avoid spoilers. The first plot twist comes during episode 1, but it doesn’t stop there, so you’re in for one crazy ride. Also, you’ll want to give this story your full attention to be able to keep up.
Continue reading our spoiler-free Echoes series review below. The series premieres on Netflix on August 19, 2022.
A very dangerous game
As already mentioned, the twins Leni and Gina (both played expertly by Michelle Monaghan) have swapped lives and identities since they were children. This probably isn’t unheard of among twins. However, the fact that they continue this practice as adults is all kinds of f**ked up.
They simply swap identities (and actual lives) on their birthday for one year at a time. This includes swapping jobs, homes, and husbands. In fact, there’s even a child in one of the families.
They usually reside in Virginia and Los Angeles, so they don’t get to see their other life in the meantime. Of course, this also means that they have to keep each other updated on any changes that happen. And trust that they don’t keep any secrets from each other.
This whole “swapping lives”-deal isn’t a spoiler, by the way, but the actual concept of the series.
Still, it isn’t completely revealed that this is going on until the end of episode 1. There are several hints towards it though, so it isn’t exactly a secret to the viewers.
One crazy ride!
Episode 1 is mostly about the fact that one twin returns to their hometown in Virginia since the other sister has gone missing. And just days before their birthday which is when they usually swap.
In episode 2, more twists and turns occur. Also, by episode 3, you’ll know what happened to the missing sister. This is just to say that each episode builds on the story continuously, so you won’t be waiting for answers until the final episode.
Of course, each new answer does tend to lead to more questions. But hey, such is the nature of a thriller mystery and Echoes is definitely that. Also, you’ll probably find yourself asking a whole lot of questions along the way as well.
And come up with theories and answers to the various mysteries, as one does when watching a thriller mystery unfold.
Michelle Monaghan is amazing
Yes, Michelle Monaghan is absolutely brilliant in this role. Not only does she have to portray two roles as twins, Leni and Gina. No, she also has to portray these two twins switching identities. As the story progresses, we [the audience] need to know if we’re watching Gina play Leni or just Gina being Gina.
And vice versa, of course.
Oh, and if you use the closed caption subtitles (I always do, no matter what language the production is made in), you cannot trust them. Obviously, the person writing these could not keep up either. And really, you must pay attention. Otherwise, you’ll be confused pretty early on.
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In other key roles, we see Matt Bomer (American Horror Stories), Jonathan Tucker (Monsterland), Michael O’Neill (Bates Motel), and Karen Robinson (Schitt’s Creek), to name just a few.
Also, Ginger Mason and Hazel Mason play the two twins as teens. And we do get to see quite a lot from their past to understand their present. These two actors do an amazing job as well.
Watch the Echoes limited series on Netflix
Despite the fact that Echoes is being advertised as “from the creator of 13 Reasons Why” this isn’t true in the way you might expect. Brian Yorkey, the creator of 13 Reasons Why is an executive producer and co-showrunner on Echoes.
The creator of Echoes, however, is Vanessa Gazy. She previously also created the Australian series Eden which is a Stan Original. The directors of this new limited series include Li Lu (The Resident), Anna Mastro (Shameless), and Valeria Weiss (Outer Banks).
For anyone, who enjoys a good mystery thriller along the lines of a Harlan Coben story, this Netflix series is worth a shot. It was better than I expected and I enjoyed both the evolution of the story and the pace of storytelling. Plus, Michelle Monaghan is just brilliant in this!
All 7 episodes of Echoes are out on Netflix from August 19, 2022.
Details
Directors: Li Lu, Anna Mastro, Valerie Weiss
Writer: Vanessa Gazy
Stars: Michelle Monaghan, Matt Bomer, Daniel Sunjata, Karen Robinson, Jonathan Tucker, Ali Stroker
Plot
Echoes is a mystery thriller series about two identical twins, Leni and Gina, who share a dangerous secret. Since they were children, Leni and Gina have secretly swapped lives, culminating in a double life as adults: they share two homes, two husbands, and a child but everything in their perfectly choreographed world is thrown into disarray when one of the sisters goes missing.
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